


A Million Dreams of You

by Deer_in_the_headlights



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, I love them okay, but it's cute i swear, cheesy slow dancing, collection of oneshots?, idk man I just wanna write about them, people suck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 13:43:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13296096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deer_in_the_headlights/pseuds/Deer_in_the_headlights
Summary: Anne Wheeler knew of the looks she and Phillip got each night when he took her hand at the end of the show. She heard the whispers when she and Phillip would take the rare night out. She felt the scorn of his parents again when they ran into them at the theatre. She knew that she and Phillip were absolutely scandalous to so many people.She wished she could say she didn't care.





	A Million Dreams of You

**Author's Note:**

> Ya girl is back (for now). I saw this movie today and ,,, I loved it. I'm a big sucker for musicals and love stories so this movie instantly became my favorite.
> 
> Enjoy nerds.

Anne Wheeler knew of the looks she and Phillip got each night when he took her hand at the end of the show. She heard the whispers when she and Phillip would take the rare night out. She felt the scorn of his parents again when they ran into them at the theatre. She knew that his parents no longer spoke to him because of that night, beacause of her. She knew that they had disowned him, they no longer called him their son.

She wished she could say she didn't care, that it didn't bother her.

It hurt. Not being accepted for who she loved hurt, a lot. Anne hadn't been accepted for her whole life. Not until Barnum's. Not until she met Phillip. 

It had been a particularly rough night. As usual, at the end of the show, Phillip took her hand and kissed her. That definitely was not the rough part. The aftermath was. There were typically confused stares or looks of scorn and shame. Maybe the occasional heckle from a drunk, white man. Never anything like this. Anne and Lettie were put on goodbye duty. Typically, Anne loved goodbye duty. She loved to see the fresh wonder in people's eyes, the smiles on their faces, the dreams already being concocted in their minds. This particular night, as the people were almost all out, a man turned to speak to her. 

"You and your little beau that you've managed to seduce are a disgrace." The man said firmly, his eyes burning with rage. Anne's face paled and her eyes filled with a fury all her own. The man stared directly into her eyes with such hatred. She was about to open her mouth and tell him to get the hell out and never come back when he spat on her feet, still wrapped and devoid of shoes from her performance, turned on his heel and dashed out of the tent. 

Anne turned away from the door and walked into one of the empty rings. She vaguely recalled Lettie running after her, asking her if she could help or if she needed to get Phillip or W.D. She did not answer her and eventually, Lettie left her alone. 

She sat on the edge of the ring, not crying, just numb. But that man had opened the gates of her mind that she stored the pain of the stares, scorns, and whispers behind. The pain she felt when people would say how she ruined Phillip. How she didn't deserve him. Her mind was overtaken by the pain that she had pent up inside. She was trapped in her own mind by the thoughts of how she was destroying his life. Anne didn't hear him enter the ring, or ask her what happened. She knew he was there when he sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. Just the familiar feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around her was enough to pull her out of the deep recesses of her mind and remind her that it was worth it.

He was worth it. Love was worth it.

"You don't have to tell me anything, but please just talk to me." She hadn't known that he'd been talking to her.

"I wish that people were okay with us. It hurts. A lot. I just want to be accepted for once in my life. I just want us to be accepted. I hate that being with me made your parents disown you. I hate it I hate it I hate it."

"People are awful, Anne. I know that now. I also know that I love you. If loving you makes my parents disown their only son, then my parents be damned." She kissed him, and her whole body felt like it was on fire, and her worries were pushed out of her mind. God, she loved that man. 

"Thank you." She rested her head on his chest, arms holding each other like their lives depended on it. They sat like that for a while. Nobody dared disturb them. They stayed still, taking in the moment and taking in each other. Phillip untangled himself and stood up, turning to face her.

"May I have this dance, milady?" He bowed and reached his hand out to her with a flourish.

"Why of course, kind sir. However, there is no music." She placed her hand in his and he pulled her up, his arm encasing her waist.

"There is always music. You need only know where to look."

They spun around the ring, twirling, dipping, flying. It seemed as though they were dancing among the stars, jumping over Jupiter, twirling around the sun, flying over the moon. She took in the moment, memorizing every inch of his face, every move they made, every emotion she felt. The tattered, stained, grimy old circus tent had never looked so beautiful. 

"This feels like a dream." Anne murmured, mostly to herself.

"It's not. I'm real. We're real. We love each other, and if society can't get that through their thick skulls, well we will just have to make them. I love you, Anne Wheeler, and it doesn't matter if the whole world casts us out because we'll have each other." 

"God, I love you." 

_____________________________________________

 

From that point on, whenever they went out, Anne would hold Phillip's hand proudly. There were still stares and whispers, there would always be. She would be lying if she said that they did not hurt her. It will always hurt. She will always hurt. That hurt is a part of her life now. The hurt is far outweighed by Phillip. Her Phillip. Of course, being mocked or called a disgrace is something that does not feel good. But, being with Phillip feels good. She is loved for the first time by someone who is not Mama, Pop, or W.D. Phillip chose to love her. He would follow her to the ends of the earth, or run into a burning building for her. Surrounded by her friends, and her Phillip, Anne felt something for the first time.

Happy.

Truly happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this cheesy love story as much as I do.
> 
> Please comment any suggestions!


End file.
